- Joined
- Nov 8, 2005
- Messages
- 6,233
One of the biggest problems with Preston North End for decades now, stretching back to the 70s, is the club's inability to identify which people to keep and which to sell.
The Juventus club of the 1990s had a well known policy to sell any player at the moment they thought that individual commanded the highest transfer fee. This was an open and clear admission that no one is irreplaceable, and the coffers come first. This did not distract them from the success on the pitch, which they enjoyed during that period.
The unique part of that was that Juventus were "top of the food chain" which usually means they tend to be a buying -not a selling - club.
Manchester United have been known to sell players to big clubs on occasion, but by and large they buy the best players off their rivals, often to put that player on the bench, and in doing so negatively affect the fortunes of their previous club.
Preston North End are, of course, a selling club. Mo Lindsay certainly made no secret of this, because its the nature of football at this level.
However, Mo Lindsay also talked about continuity from within. Bringing Alexander back in, with a deliberate eye on a coaching role. Bringing Sean Gregan into the circle, for future reference. Perhaps it would be a good time to bring in Paul McKenna for the same reason?
Phil Brown's ineptitude - at least for PNE - shone bright the moment he lost Hume and Mellor. Unlucky, some might say. However, considering that North End are hugely likely to sell players in January, PNE do not really want a manager who is unable, at least, to remodel and improvise his approach when players leave. Brown's cards were shown after Hume's injury. An inability to reformulate the squad to cover the losses. Injuries, or player sales are going to happen, and there was only one way Brown's fortunes were going, despite "working hard on the training field" and the "spirit in the camp..."
North End must be very careful in appointing pedigree managers, because, I suspect, most of them - like Darren Ferguson and Brown - could not work under the status quo at Deepdale. Will their patience run out after the player exodus in January?
In Unsworth, we have a man who would "love the job" despite all that comes with it. He has worked with reserves for several years now, so he appreciates the need to make the most of limited resources.
North End is just that at the moment, and the time is right to appoint a young manager, and one who, on the evidence of watching the reserves, and last weekend's Wimbledon victory, has a decent amount of ability. Unsworth is, for me, a "keeper".
The Juventus club of the 1990s had a well known policy to sell any player at the moment they thought that individual commanded the highest transfer fee. This was an open and clear admission that no one is irreplaceable, and the coffers come first. This did not distract them from the success on the pitch, which they enjoyed during that period.
The unique part of that was that Juventus were "top of the food chain" which usually means they tend to be a buying -not a selling - club.
Manchester United have been known to sell players to big clubs on occasion, but by and large they buy the best players off their rivals, often to put that player on the bench, and in doing so negatively affect the fortunes of their previous club.
Preston North End are, of course, a selling club. Mo Lindsay certainly made no secret of this, because its the nature of football at this level.
However, Mo Lindsay also talked about continuity from within. Bringing Alexander back in, with a deliberate eye on a coaching role. Bringing Sean Gregan into the circle, for future reference. Perhaps it would be a good time to bring in Paul McKenna for the same reason?
Phil Brown's ineptitude - at least for PNE - shone bright the moment he lost Hume and Mellor. Unlucky, some might say. However, considering that North End are hugely likely to sell players in January, PNE do not really want a manager who is unable, at least, to remodel and improvise his approach when players leave. Brown's cards were shown after Hume's injury. An inability to reformulate the squad to cover the losses. Injuries, or player sales are going to happen, and there was only one way Brown's fortunes were going, despite "working hard on the training field" and the "spirit in the camp..."
North End must be very careful in appointing pedigree managers, because, I suspect, most of them - like Darren Ferguson and Brown - could not work under the status quo at Deepdale. Will their patience run out after the player exodus in January?
In Unsworth, we have a man who would "love the job" despite all that comes with it. He has worked with reserves for several years now, so he appreciates the need to make the most of limited resources.
North End is just that at the moment, and the time is right to appoint a young manager, and one who, on the evidence of watching the reserves, and last weekend's Wimbledon victory, has a decent amount of ability. Unsworth is, for me, a "keeper".
